Exactly. Same could be said about smart watches these days... to some they'd argue why buy other watches like Rolex's that cost x10 as much when you can buy a smart watch and read text's msg on your wrist, but yet here we are and watches like Rolex's and whatnot are still selling and highly sought after.

My friend has a Model 3 Dual Motor, the fastest version of Model 3.

There is no doubt in a straight line (and even some curves) it is EXTREMELY impressive. After driving his car, I can say I don't need to watch YT videos of Teslas destroying high-end ICE sports cars because there is no doubt it is ridiculously fast.

I'll leave the interior debate mostly alone, but while I do find the exterior of the Model 3 appealing, the interior is something straight out of IKEA. I personally don't like it at all. I like the new Ford Mach-E interior far better.

After driving my friend's Model 3, I got back into my Q60 that has the "Infiniti Sports Exhaust" (this is a surprisingly loud exhaust for an OEM part) rolled my windows down, and hearing the exhaust note of my Q60 made me realize I MUCH prefer an ICE car. (BTW, I have found myself running against the lower-end Model 3 RWD versions on the freeway, and thankfully the Q60 is more than a match for that version).
I have long considered supercharging my car, but I may just leave it alone. The reality is, I could throw $20K at it and still get stomped by a Tesla (most every version of Tesla but one). And I am enjoying the reliability over my last German car.

I guess, the reality for me is that I am getting older, about to be mid-40's, and I just want a new Z because they have been a part of my life since before I could drive. I love the mechanical complexity of machines like cars, trucks, boats, airplanes. The kind of mechanical complexity that makes them less reliable than an electric machine, and dirtier.

When I look at the Z I see a car that's not different enough from the 370 to justify buying it. The cabin isn't different enough from the 370 for me to feel like after say a week driving around in it to see too much of the 370.
The instrument cluster and the Infotainment system are a nice upgrade, but the rest of the package just screams that Nissan just put the absolute minimum in the new model to say it's "new" and "improved".
I loved my 370 for 10 years (2009) and really enjoyed it, but grew tired of waiting for something new.
It will be nice to have a stronger engine but I don't see a radical change in 0-60 or 1/4 mile coming from the Infiniti engine they're putting into it.

Occasionally I miss my Z but not enough to buy the 400.

PS: I now drive a Honda Civic Type R and I'm having a blast. I can honestly say I have more enjoyment - even after two years- driving the Type R. Front vs. Rear was quite a change.

From what I have read and seen on some YT vids, the new Z is a 370Z with a body kit, engine swap, and digital dash. It’s on the same 370Z frame, interior door handles and other parts are straight off the 370Z (at least the couple that were produced running around are), etc.... For $35k I’d rather keep my Z and TT or S/C the VHR....

I don’t know about others but I would rather they release a Z34.5 than kill the Z. Also, a factory turbo setup is likely to be much more reliable than an aftermarket one. I’ve not looked, but I haven’t heard of any major issues with the engine in the Infinitis.

Despite what a number of RWD or Style critics say, the CTR is a seriously good car, so I understand where you'recoming from. I helped my son secure one at MSRP, and we drove it through 3 states, using motorcycleroads.com for a lot of our routes before shipping it back to Hawaii. I love the shifter and clutch much more, than my old 13Z or current 17 M2. Enjoy it!

So I've heard in this thread from the OP and others that the new Z is "not innovative enough", but no specifics.

Exactly what should have been added to the Z chassis to make it something you would considering buying? (has to be short of a thorough chassis redesign, though - since that would be purchasing an entirely different car all together).

Unfortunately, I think people were expecting MKIV vs MK5 Supra level of changes for the new Z. Which is ridiculous as even the new BRZ is just improved upon the previous Gen by engine tweaks (2.4 vs 2.0), interior upgrades, exterior styling and weight reduction (which is the whole point of the car) and structure rigidity. Which is pretty much the same on the new Z, aside from not having another giant manufacturer assisting in building a sports car (Toyota/Subaru, Toyota/BMW).

Just have to wait for the actual reveal and additional technical detail.

We're getting the best we were ever going to get for a company that was struggling and pivoting to a future in electric. In order to keep the Z in the price range we ALL want it in, we were never going to get a ground up build. It's not some huge seller.

If the Z proves to be incredibly profitable and governments don't force a ban or demonetization of new ICE cars then maybe you can expect a next gen version to be invested in (like mustangs) otherwise enjoy this car for what it is. Older tech more traditional sports car with good power, handling, and looks at a reasonable price point.

Agreed with both above points; the new Z has enough improvements for me in the right areas to make it a compelling buy (again).

This time, I'll be cross-shopping the Z with a used Evora (400 or GT, but most likely the former due to cost). Did a similar thing with the 370Z and a used Cayman S ten years ago, but ended up in the Z due to the value proposition, my Z-fan enthusiasm, and yep - the great "new car smell" the used P-car didn't have.

If the cost of the new Z is as expected, the Evora's got a pretty sizeable uphill battle ahead of it.

Can't wait for the official production announcement! But yeah, agree with most here - why can't we have some tidbits of info, or confirmation, in the interim?

Sure the 400Z isn't revolutionary, it was never meant to be. For that look at the GTRs from Nissan. I do like the new digital dash, most of it's competitors don't have that. Everything else is comparable to other sports cars at that price point.

Yea and that's the main reason why so many people push away from the Z cars, since they want the newest thing regardless of the lineage/following/culture.

Which is why the following on the Civic Type R is so expansive right now; Before that, the Civic SI was the only 2door MT you could get from Honda. Mazda was...nothing (RX-8 doesn't count), Subaru had only the STI before the BRZ/GT86 Twins (pretty much the only thing that saved Toyota from still being a contender for a 2door sports car), and the other Japanese brands are just luxury based (Infiniti, Acura, Infiniti).

Nissan is just in a very tough spot from all around, and this new Z will definitely (hopefully) bring them back if they keep 95% of the Proto Z's features.

I think what we are getting considering the state of sports cars, the state of Nissan as a corp company is really good overall. I think they are smart to use as much of the previous generation as possible to build a nicer, more complete car than what we currently have. To have a twin turbo and a manual - it's like 'take my money'. As for revolutionary, I think the base they made with the Z already hits a lot of the marks, when I look back at the 300zx, the 350z and how timeless the current 370z looks - we aren't needing revolutionary - we just need a faster motor along with an updated interior and some newer styling to keep up with the other manufacturers.

If you look at a lot of sports cars - other than the Civic Type R (and a lot of people would argue that it's not a sports car but a hot hatch) and the Corvette - sports cars don't sell as well. Even the Supra is not maintaining it's value for it's price point and I'm sure one could find a new one at below MSRP. Even new cars that are coming out - the BRZ/86 isn't turbo charged but still staying NA and I think that has to do with the cheaper 2.0 Supra, to not eat into sells. We are still waiting on the new revolutionary Subie STI; so if you ask me - I think Nissan is trying to do right by it's fans.

Regardless, I think we should all wait for the new Z and the reviews to come out before we write it off completely.

Civic Type R is not revolutionary. None of the tech or safety stuff is new. Lane keeping, active cruise, autobrake, apply and android connectivity. It's updated from the old model, that's all. A double clutch at that price would be interesting but it doesn't seem to be happening so it will remain just the Golf R and Veloster N.

There are many cars that come out every few years that do "shake things up" but they are in the 80k range and I don't want to be having to spend that on a Z. The Z is supposed to be a low cost sports car and that means making some compromises. So yes it won't have an adjustable suspension, DCT, active aero, torsion diff, carbon ceramic brakes, or carbon fiber anything major. I am happy if it isn't filled with tons of extra stuff that cost extra money. If I want to throw money at a sports car there is the GTR, Corvette, Cayman, GT500, ZL1, etc

This thread is proof that you can please some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time.

If the z35 had gone whole hog full redesign and super latest tech gizmos etc, then folks like me and others would bitch about not being as pure and old school driver focused sports car anymore, (it’d def have steer by wire ans that as much as anything else hurts driver connection to the car)

Now we get a heavily revised 370z with updated interior, better trans, better TT engine, upgraded evertything with regards to performance and most likely the aftermarket will get product out quick bc not a big change from existing car, and drivetrain isn’t new either…

And people bitch and moan that it’s not good enough

And all this happening when sports cars are struggling to justify their existence, and a global pandemic, and Nissan is financially on the ropes.

:facepalm:

All the people who think they’re better off with an aftermarket TT kit and swapping in the new body panels to make their own are smoking some good sh1t. A TT car with warranty and corporate engineering to make it reliable for 100k plus miles is not reproducible by you. 90% of folks will be happy with stage II power levels and it will far cheaper and more reliable to get to that level starting with a factory FI’d car to begin with.

We should all be thanking the car gods this z35 even exists at all frankly. The aftermarket will step up and fix whatever factory shortcomings there will be, just like they did for the z34.